A sheet folding method and resulting product, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,711 of Stephan R. W. Muth, forms a plurality of folds which interleave so that the resulting folded sheet can fold to a compact size several times smaller than the planar dimensions of the sheet. Once the fold lines have been scored, the folded sheet is capable of being readily or even automatically self-folding and unfolding for the convenience of the user. This is particularly advantageous for making folded maps and other information guides in compact form which fits in a wallet, pocket or purse.
However, the interleaved folds must be formed with a high degree of accuracy and consistency, in order to ensure that the sheet folds back inwardly with the proper fit and without interference between the folds. Such folds are conventionally formed by hand separately, which requires a high amount of manual training and labor costs, or by a machine, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,753,558, which are very complex, have many moving parts, and require a high degree of machining and assembly time. Moreover, once such a folding machine is assembled to accomodate a particular sheet size, thickness, or fold configuration, it is very difficult and costly to change or adjust it to different sheet dimensions or folds.